Cutting apparatuses are used in the manufacture of many products, such as consumer products. Different materials used in consumer products require various cutting equipment and cutting methods. The cutting equipment and methods are, at times, tailored to specific cutting operations for various materials.
Various cleaning articles, or portions thereof, are one type of consumer product that may require one or more cutting operations during their manufacture. These cleaning articles may be used for dusting and light cleaning, for example, or for other purposes. Cleaning articles, such as disposable dusters, have been developed which have limited re-usability. These disposable dusters may comprise brush portions made of synthetic fiber bundles, called tow fibers, attached to one or more layers of material, such as one or more layers of a nonwoven material. In other instances, the tow fibers may be attached to a rigid material or plate. The disposable cleaning article may be used for one job (e.g., several square meters of surface) and discarded, or may be restored and re-used for more jobs and then discarded.
It is desired in a disposable cleaning article to have tow fibers that are fluffy and somewhat separated from each other on their distal fiber ends or free fiber ends. Current cutting technologies, however, tend to “weld” or join together free fibers ends of the tow fibers leading to an aesthetically unpleasing look and feel and also may somewhat limit cleaning ability. Furthermore, such welding of the free fibers ends of the tow fibers may somewhat reduce the effectiveness of the tow fibers in picking up dust and dirt. What is needed are cutting devices for consumer products, such as disposable dusters, and other products, that produce a cleaner and sharper cut and reduce welding of fibers at their free fiber ends. Also needed are methods of cutting materials, such as tow fibers, that reduce welding of the fibers at their free fiber ends.